Mark O'Meara

He started to play the game at age 13 after his family moved to a house in California on a golf course. He would slip onto the course and was quickly hooked on the game. As a freshman at Mission Viejo High School he made the golf team and in his junior year the team won the state championship. He earned a scholarship to Long Beach State and was an all-American in 1979. O'Meara won the California State Amateur that year, defeating Lennie Clements in the finals. O'Meara also won Mexican Amateur, defeating Gary Hallberg the last day. But his biggest victory in 1979 came at the U.S. Amateur in Cleveland when he beat defending champion John Cook in the finals. He turned professional the next year and was the 1981 PGA Tour Rookie-of-the-Year. Between 1984 and 1992 he was in the top 30 in money earnings. With his win in the 1994 Argentine Open, he became the fifth player to win in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and South America (the others are Gary Player, David Graham, Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer). . . Member 1985, '89, '91, '97 and '99 Ryder Cup team. . . Member of 1996 and '98 Presidents Cup team.